Brea Getting Fit » motivation

Cardio Barre Beginner Workout Giveaway GIVEAWAY CLOSED

breefawn — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:12:54 +0000

I had some extra energy (yay for getting 5 straight hours of blissful sleep!) and was jonesing for a barre workout when I got home from work today. SO…I have been wanting to do the beginner version of Cardio Barre: Four Workouts on One DVD, and as I was dragging out my barre (if you’ve never tried to maneuver a Fluidity barre at 6 months pregnant, you should be VERY proud of me!! That thing is AWKWARD and heavy!!) thought that I might share my thoughts (and a giveaway) with you, my loyal readers (you’re still out there, right??) I know that I have been VERY baby-obsessed the last six months, but I can’t really help that. I promise that after Tater gets here, you’ll hear all about me getting back into shape. Scout’s honor. Okay, moving on. So I finally got the barre set up (YAY!) and the DVD put in (note to self: move the DVD player to a higher location!!), and the Intro workout started. I have done the third and forth workouts before, and KNEW that I could not keep up…ummmm…yeah. I did okay. The workout is 144 bpm, which definitely got my heart pumping, and the moves were clearly explained. Some of the twisting I was unable to do for obvious reasons (and nothing on the floor…that heavens for my exercise ball!!), but I thought that it was a nice, short and to-the-point workout.

Now for the giveaway….I have a BRAND-SPANKIN-NEW Cardio Barre: Four Workouts on One DVD to giveaway! How do you enter, you may ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Leave a comment here telling me WHY you want this workout. It doesn’t have to be long, just tell me why you want it. The contest will run until Midnight EST on Sunday, April 11, 2010 (contest now ended).

I haven’t done this before, but I thought that I’d give it a try: EXTRA ENTRIES!!

-Follow me on Twitter, then post here (separate post, please) to tell me you are a follower.

-Fan me on Facebook, then post here (separate post, please) to tell me that you are now a fan.

-TWEET about this contest (one tweet per person, please), and post your tweet.

Good luck all!!

**Thank you for all the entries and follows!! We (Ish and I) drew the winner tonight…and…it’s DANIELLE! Congratulations!! Please email me your mailing address and I’ll get the DVD right out to you!**

Baby on the brain

breefawn — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:24:18 +0000

Okay, I know that this blog started out as a fitness blog (and it still is…I am just not able to be as active as I would like), but lately I’ve had baby on the brain. As an update, Tater is a healthy little guy (yup, it’s a BOY!) and we’re quite excited. But now I’m faced with baby madness. Which pacifier, and what diapers (we’re thinking fuzzi bunz)…Oh! And will we actually NEED those teeny-tiny newborn clothes? AND, on top of that, I still need to find time to exercise. I am having better luck exercising (even if it’s only for 10 minutes) at night, but that means that I cannot use my videos. So, starting next week, I’m going to try getting up 40 minutes earlier (EEK!) to get back into my workout routine…so…wish me luck! I’ve also found that I’ve been eating far too many Skittles (yay for vegan junk food)…so I’m resolving to repace them with something healthier and far yummier…fruits and VEGGIES! I really do have the best intentions, but it’s hard wanting to eat ALL the time and being thirsty, oh…and constantly having to take bathroom breaks. I do LOVE being pregnant, but I think that I need to remember that taking care of me is JUST as important. Besides, I sleep WAY better when I eat right and exercise…so why not?

Now the question to you moms…what are some of your MUST HAVE, LOVE IT, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT baby products?

Thoughts on Fitness: Part 4

breefawn — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:46:19 +0000

I actually intended to post this blog yesterday, but my server crashed unexpectedly (doesn’t it always happen like that?). So, today it is! I’ve been thinking long and hard about why I want to continue with my fitness journey (other than the obvious reason of vanity)…. And I’ve come up with a sort-of list. I must say that I was inspired by Carrie Rezabek (she is the genius behind Pure Barre), who makes lists each year for her birthday. The lists are things that she wants to accomplish in the next year, which I thought was genius. Since my birthday is in January (and EVERYONE makes lists in January), I decided to make an anniversary list. Ish and my anniversary was yesterday, so I am celebrating by making my own list of goals for the upcoming year. The first thing on my list is to add more flexibility training to my routine. I used to spend hours (yup, hours) stretching, and it felt SO good. I miss that. And yes, my barre workouts do include a nice stretch after each exercise, but it’s not the same. SO, I’ve decided to add Essentrics Sports: Flexibility Workout For Athletes intermidiate-advanced level and Essentrics Workout: Arms, Abs&Waist Toner / Legs, Butt&Thigh Thinner intermidiate-advanced level to my routine. The workouts were created by Esmonde, who also created Classical Stretch. I cannot wait to get started. I am going to start out 3x a week, but am hoping to be able to do Essentrics after work every day to help the transition between work and home. My second goal is to TRAIN and RUN a 1/2 marathon. Yeah, I’m already signed up, but DOING IT is the problem lately. My runs have got cut short by dry lightening, thunder and my body just not cooperating. Time to change that. The third objective is to relax a little bit more. I’ve noticed that as I get older, my biological clock gets louder. I can’t change that, so it’s time to just chill out for a bit. My fourth goal is to finally get my Group Instructor AND Personal Training Certifications. Just have to make the time. The fifth and final goal (so far) is to eat 100% raw at least 3 days each week. I feel better, look better and have SO much more energy when I do this. So there it is! I cannot wait to start checking things off my list…

1. Essentrics stretching (as often as I can)
2. TRAIN for the 1/2…RUN the 1/2
3. RELAX!
4. a) Group Instructor
b) Personal Trainer
5. Eat RAW 3x a week

Who knows…maybe I’ll knock out my list in six months and have to make another one!!

It’s all in the timing

breefawn — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:17:45 +0000

I set my alarm clock for 5:15 this morning so that I would have time to do some treadmill dancing before attempting Pure Barre: Pershing Square 2. BUT, my alarm clock (and my sleepiness) had other ideas. I thought that I hit the snooze button…but instead I turned the alarm off. Much to my chagrin, I woke up late (6:00). I did however, manage to drag myself out of bed, and frustrated as I was, I didn’t let that interupt my workout. At least, I made the best of it. I got up, set up my barre and popped the DVD in. I am not quite ready to write my review, as I was not able to do the workout to its full potential (my palms are still pretty tender), but GOODNESS am I sore! My hips, thighs and glutes are definitely protesting my wanting to do Pure Barre: Pershing Square 2 again tomorrow. I think I’m going to be doing Cardio Barre… But we’ll see. I am definitely going on a run…have to keep up with my training!!

In the words of Scarlett:

breefawn — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:24:37 +0000

Tomorrow is another day.

It doesn’t help that Gone with the Wind is my all-time favorite movie (if you couldn’t tell), but I find that the words of Scarlett O’Hara help me to get through those moments when I’m not sure why today ended up like this. Tonight is one of those nights. I got home from work, made dinner, and then decided that I really, really, really wanted some coconut milk ice cream. Turtle Mountain Mint Chip, to be exact. So, I went out to get some…in the middle of a THUNDERSTORM. Okay, so maybe there are some issues that I need to deal with, because right after work, I stopped by the grocery store and purposely loaded up on healthy items, like hummus, bell peppers, broccoli and cauliflower. Yes, I like cauliflower. Don’t judge. So why, then did I also load up on fried plantains, and some vegan potstickers for my freezer? AND go back to get ice cream? Maybe I need to eat MORE fruit…is it possible to have a sugar deficiency? I think that I just wanted some variety…but I also think that eating raw is really hard. Until today, I am proud to say that I’ve done a great job of eating raw…then I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast this morning…and pad thai for dinner…. Not exactly the 90% I was hoping for. AND, to top it all off…I skipped my workout tonight. Granted, I want to get up and run tomorrow morning, and exhausting my muscles now would be silly. So…here’s the plan: eat 90% raw tomorrow, which will start off with a shake for breakfast, and then some hummus and veggies for lunch…then a HUGE salad for dinner. I can’t wait for the salad. I’m also going to head down to the gym and get some cardio in, then come home and do Pershing Square 2…hopefully I can modify so that I’m not on my hands as much as the video requires. If it’s too difficult, I’ll just do a Bar Method workout. Either way, I’m back on the semi-straight and narrow for my training. (I can’t believe that I signed up for a 1/2 marathon! I am seriously beginning to question my sanity!!) So…yes. Tomorrow IS another day. Thank heavens!

Thoughts on fitness: Part 3

breefawn — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:08:35 +0000

I woke up this morning, and realized that my entire body ached. I guess that between my barre workout last night and my fall, my poor body just wanted some rest…so I listened. I had planned to do Pershing Square 2 (for the last 3 days!!) but something always seems to happen before this type of workout. Interestingly, I have previewed the workout and it looks hard, but fun. I really like Pershing Square 1, and can’t wait for my hands to heal so that I can actually try Pershing Square 2. I am proud to say that I haven’t let my injuries get the best of my workout routine, though! Last night, I managed to do some of the weightless arm exercises from The Tracy Anderson Method Presents Mat Workout DVD, as well as the pretzel/clam combo from Tracy Effinger’s Squeeze Stronger (fitness workout). Umm….OUCH. I think that my legs hurt worse than my hands for a brief moment. I love that I can pick and choose parts of my barre workouts and make some use of my time…and it felt SO good to workout. I can’t wait to do that again tonight. I think it is goingto be awhile before I’ll be able to do anything where I put my weight on my hands, but that doesn’t give me an excuse to stop running or doing my other workouts…it just means I need to get creative and modify my routine.

Thoughts on fitness: Part 2

breefawn — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:05:38 +0000

I think that what motivates us (me) is not so much the actual work, but the results that we see. I have to confess that I’ve been a little less than strict on my diet for the past few weeks…which has lead to my realization that fitness needs to be a mind/body/food marriage, and I seem to keep forgetting that. Most of you know that I became vegan for health reasons, and have stayed vegan not only because a whole new world of food (that I LOVE!!) has opened up AND because it’s a personal choice. I realized this morning that while I’ve been working out, I’ve been eating lots of (vegan) junk food…like Oreos and Fritos (darn only needing 1/2 the bag to make my Enchilada Bake!!)…while it’s technically vegan, that DOES NOT mean that it’s healthy for me. So…I’ve come to the conclusion that in order to be healthy, I need to focus from the inside out. I know that I keep talking about eating raw (which I am proud to report that I HAVE eaten 90% raw so far this month!! GO ME!!), but it’s really hitting me that one of the benefits of eating vegan is all the wonderful produce available. Today, I’ve enjoyed a fresh smoothie (strawberries, spinach, silken tofu & soymilk), banana, salad, nectarines, oranges, and some baby carrots. SUPER delicous!! I also had one of my cherry pie larabars, which is ALSO raw! If you can’t tell, I’m feeling pretty pumped about my renewed motivation. Having had a great run this morning (after which I felt so great that I’m GIVING AWAY an interval timer! To enter, click here!!), and doing Tracy Effinger’s Squeeze Stronger (fitness workout) lower body…which, by the way, is absolutely KILLER!! After the pretzel/clam combo I always have jell-o legs. If you haven’t tried it, you absolutely MUST!! Okay, back to my realization…I’ve KNOWN for a very, very long time that fitness is a mind-body-food connection, but it’s a totally different thing to wake up and know exactly what you MUST do to feel (and look…which definitely doesn’t hurt things) great. I’ve set a goal to try a different fruit/veggie/legume each week, and so far this week, I’ve tried white nectarines, a pluot (YUM!) and I’m going to have collard greens for the first time tomorrow!! I am SO very excited (stay tuned for the post about the collard green experiment) for the rest of the month!!

Thoughts on fitness (a new series)

breefawn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:58:50 +0000

Yesterday, I posted a poll of sorts on my FaceBook Fan Page, asking which workout I should do this morning, the choices being Cardio Barre, Tracy Anderson or Squeeze…. While I only got a few responses, the resounding decision was Cardio Barre. I must admit that I have mixed feelings about this workout, since the last time that I did it my triceps hurt for days. Quite literally. On the other hand, according to my training plan, today is supposed to be a rest day from my run/walk schedule, so Cardio Barre will be a great choice. I will still get my cardio in, but without having to go on a run. Yay for polling! I am still doing the Beginner workout offered by Cardio Barre, which is only about 40 minutes long, perfect for a quick cardio/toning routine. AND I love that 1 pound weights are plenty heavy for the weighted section. Of my barre workouts, Cardio Barre seems to get my heart rate up the most, which is a good reason for me to do it more often. I also need to work toward the intermediate/advanced workouts that are also on the disk, but I want to master the first level. After doing the workout, I remember why I love it. It goes by SO very fast, and the instructor is incredibly motivating. I think that the workouts I do are wonderful…it’s just finding time to do them all. If you want the time, you will make the time, as I realized today.

PS: I’ve decided that I need to have a theme, or series of blog posts about my fitness routine, not only to help my readers, but to help keep myself on track, hense the “Thoughts on fitness” heading….

I have a plan….

breefawn — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:42:26 +0000

Okay, so I realized when I got up this morning that I need a plan for this month…ESPECIALLY if I am going to stay on top of my 1/2 marathon training. So I pulled out my diet and exercise log, and am working on tracking my workouts (or rather, pre-planning them for the weeks). As I am sitting here working on my schedule, I realized that I have a HUGE number of workouts that I haven’t used in AGES…so it’s time to pull them out and get down to business. My goal this month is to use all of my barre workouts, AND to re-introduce my Gaiam Kettlenetics Slim and Tone Kit. The plan so far (for the first week of August) is to alternate running days with Kettlenetics days…and do a barre workout 5 times a week. I’m hoping for 6…but I don’t want to over-extend myself. I am very excited to get back to my Kbells…I didn’t realize how much I missed using them! I am also excited to get back into my routine. I finished my last Diet & Fitness Journal: Your Personal Guide to Optimum Health (Little Black Journals) about two months ago, and for some reason…I haven’t started using the new one. So it’s finally time. The first thing that I did this morning was to pull out my journal and start to label my weeks and put my workouts in so that I have an outline. I think that outlining my workouts will help me to focus my attention and spend less time trying to decide which workout sounds interesting that day. I am also hoping that by using multiple barre workouts I will avoid boredom (never happened with barre workouts…but there’s always a first time!). I am also aiming to eat 90% raw…which means that my average needs to be raw 90% of the time (obvious, I know). I am hoping that by focusing on consumption of raw foods that I will better fuel my workouts. I am going to try quite a few of the fuel recipes in Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life. I already know that I feel better and work better eating raw…food is easier to diegest in its natural state, and I love the all-day energy that I have. So my plan: workouts (check!), diet…keeping track of it…is in progress. Writing down everything that I eat is so important. I cannot wait to see which days I have good energy and which days I feel “blah”. Tomorrow is my long run day, and I CANNOT WAIT!!

Brea in training (and a smoothie recipe)

breefawn — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:55:53 +0000

Training takes alot out of you, especially if you spent over 2 hours exercising the day before…while I truly enjoyed my cardio (30 minutes), The Bar Method Accelerated Workout (45 minutes), and then a 45 minute walk with Ish, my body is having some issues catching up. What’s strange is that my workout yesterday would normally have been a “light” day by my previous standards. Odd. So, I tried to make sure that today was a shorter day. Ish and I got up early for a 30 minute run, doing 3:1 intervals (3 minutes running, 1 minute walking), which I timed using my Gymboss GB2009 SILVER. Have I mentioned how much I love my Gymboss? It’s one of the best pieces of equipment that I own! It helps me to stay on track with my running, and allows me to push myself without burning out. The timer buzzes when it’s time to change your pace (it can also beep incredibly loudly…but since I normally run before 6 am in a neighborhood, I thought that I would be polite and avoid lound beeping…). LOVE IT! After our run, we walked for another 5 minutes as a cool-down, and I got home just in time to fit in Power Squeeze from Squeeze: The Complete Workout with Tracy Effinger. The Power Squeeze segment is a great 20 minute workout that incorporates arms (pushups and tricep dips), legs (isometric exercises using a playground ball), glutes (pretzel & a back dancing variation), abs (situps using the playground ball) and some good stretching. I love this workout for days where I am genuinely pressed for time OR those days (like today) where I’m sore from my previous workout. I don’t generally workout if I’m in lots of pain, but since I was just achy this morning, I went for it. I also took Mr. Brazier’s advice about fueling withing 45 minutes of finishing your workout and made myself a chocolate/strawberry shake. SO DELISH!! In his book, Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life, Brendan stresses the importance of fueling with the proper nutrients before, during and after workouts. I have noticed that since I’ve started paying attention to what I’m using to fuel my body, I have FAR more energy, and I’m sleeping better…all things that Brendan Brazier promises in his book. Interesting. I’m not sure how far I buy into making your own energy gels…but once I start to increase my distance past 6 miles, I’m probably going to break down and try them. He also has a recipe for some awesome-sounding Power Pancakes…must try those sometime soon…maybe this weekend. I think that the best thing I’m taking out of reading this book is a better understanding of how my digestive system functions and how I can eat the right types of foods to help my system work at its peak. I’m really loving how I’m feeling…and although this smoothie recipe is one of my own creation, it has a nice blend of protein/fat/carbs for a post-workout power boost.

Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie
(serves 1)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. Chocolate Silken Tofu
3/4 c. Spinach
4 LG Frozen Strawberries
1 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
8 oz Plain Soymilk

Method:

Toss everything in the blender and blend until incorporated. Enjoy!